


Councils and Captains

by parakeetlee



Series: Avatar of the Panther Goddess [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 17:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13885650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parakeetlee/pseuds/parakeetlee
Summary: Bast really needs to work on her communication skills. Everett should probably apologize Captain America at some point. They're figuring it out as they go along.





	Councils and Captains

**Author's Note:**

> The first story in this series is probably the first one I've written that has received much notice. So I suppose it's only typical that I receive both all your great comments and kudos and the not-so-great comments. You won't see those as I've enabled comment moderation and I'm not going to let you people post that crap here on my story. I don't really want to know how you think my story should go, so next time instead of commenting on what you'd like to see, go ahead and write that story yourself. And to the person who warned me not to make Everett the white guy saving the black people... take your warning and your assumption of my racism and stop reading my story if you don't like it. And yes, trying to prevent someone from being racist is in fact calling them a racist. Don't trip over that back button on your way out. I don't like being made to feel as if I have to justify my own story, especially when the comics have T'challa handing the regency to Ross for no better reason than he trusts him. So buckle up, read it if you want, comment if you can do so without sounding like entitled twats, and enjoy the fact I still managed to respond in the face of such idiocy. And thanks to all the non-twat commenters! Pat yourself on the back for rescuing this series from abandonment when I was totally fed up with readers in general.

"Look at him, he's not touched by Bast, just touched in the head." The Mining Tribe's leader remarked to the River Tribe's chief. She had been making snide comments to her cohort the entire time Everett had been there, as if he couldn't hear her. Finally his temper snapped.

"Will you please stop? I know my story is far-fetched, but really, is it too much to ask for you not to insult me in front of me at least?" Everett asked angrily. The entire council room went dead silent. He gulped, worried he'd broken some law by speaking out of turn and they'd try to have him beheaded or something.

"Everett, since when do you speak Xhosa?" T'challa stared at him, astonished. Everett frowned at him.

"I don't speak Xho-" He raised a hand suddenly, his predetermined signal for his communication with his... silent partner. _Bast. Did I just speak Xhosa, a language I don't know?_

 _Yes._ She replied easily, with a hint of amusement. In the relatively short time he'd been awake since the incident, he'd found her sharp sense of humor a fairly good match for his sarcasm. He gave a mental sigh. _It takes you mortals so long to learn a new language, though!_

 _You can't just download a language into my brain without asking or even telling me about it!_ He protested and thought back to the multiple times the tribe leaders had spoken odd, disjointed comments to each other, mostly about how crazy he surely must be. _Wait... they've been speaking a language they didn't think I could understand to insult me throughout the meeting?_

 _Exactly._ Bast replied smugly. _I really thought you'd snap earlier. I lost a bet with myself around ten minutes in._

 _We really need to address boundaries and proper communication skills at some point._ Everett gave a real sigh this time and did his best to answer in English. "So apparently Bast somehow taught my brain Xhosa and conveniently forgot to mention it to me. I thought the rude comments were you all trying to test my patience."

"Truly, you have the patience of a saint, my friend." T'challa gave an abrupt laugh at the guilty looks the council members traded. "It should not surprise us to hear how devious our deity can be, what with how we have successfully hidden our nation from world so completely. Let this serve as a reminder that our Goddess is no tame house cat to taunt or tease, but a panther, cunning, vicious, and deadly to cross."

"That leads directly to my next point. Everyone, when not doubting my sanity, has dubbed me not fit to bear the mantle of Bast.I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm just her voice, not some mythical saviour. I mean, you already have a practically invincible superhero for a king, I'm not exactly in the same league. Even your newest Dora Milaje could probably beat me with both hands behind her back, despite whatever advantage the vibranium mixed in my bloodstream may give me. I was a pilot, not special forces. And furthermore, you lot act as if I was stealing some mystical birthright from you, beating out your other priests for the honor. I'm no thief! I came into this country with a bullet in my back and the entire reason I'm standing here in front of you is not due to superpowers. My greatest achievement here is to manage to not die when I should have. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad your beloved goddess stepped in with her offer, but that was her doing and her choice. I just didn't argue with her... much." He mentally smirked as Bast chuckled. The other tribe leaders had started to nod slightly, acknowledging his points. Everett gritted his teeth. "Now if we have that out of the way, we need to talk about Thanos."

"Who?" M'Baku, the only elder Everett could consistently name, questioned, puzzled. The Jabari leader was not the only one confused. The others were all frowning, the name unknown.

"What do you know of the Battle of New York, when Loki of Asgard led the Chitauri aliens through a portal to attack the world but were stopped by the original Avengers?" Everett backtracked.

"Our War Dogs are well placed and kept my father thoroughly informed. We had many debates as to whether we should act that day, either while it was contained or after were it to spread across the ocean. Luckily, the Avengers managed to settle the issue before the choice was forced upon us." T'challa admitted.

"Loki led them, true, but was not the puppetmaster that day. No, the true force behind the attack was a being known as Thanos, known as a destroyer of multiple worlds. He sought the Tessaract and with it, the rest of the infinity stones to unite them into a gauntlet with serious powers, on par with the greatest of the gods. Bast's secret goal was to give us advanced warning. Thanos is coming, not as easily as with the Tessaract in his grasp, but coming all the same. Bast needs Wakanda and the rest of Earth to stand ready against his invasion." Everett explained.

"What does our goddess counsel, Everett Ross?" T'challa spread his hands wide. The rest of the council was solemn and focused. Everett took a couple of deep breaths and listened carefully to Bast's plan.

"This invasion will not be stopped by human armies, not even ones armed with the best weapons our people can offer. And, truthfully, arming the nations of the world is not a wise idea. They are still so young compared to Wakanda that they would turn on one another as soon as the battleground cleared. They need shielded areas, safe spaces that civilians could take refuge in. It is likely that Thanos will strike New York again, as it is the location Loki originally led him to. But our vibranium mountain will be a tempting target as well. The Border tribe must start preparing as never before, preparing to defend our land and people from the invaders. The scientists need to redouble their efforts to produce shields we can launch to protect the city and its people who need to establish and clear evacuation route to the citadel when the time comes. The Jabari are welcome to shelter here as well. If Thanos thinks Wakanda's forces unprepared and weak enough to yield to his forces... we shall make him extend his hand, only to cut it off. Wakanda shall not fall. As for the attacking forces, we must rally the forces of protectors that Earth has to offer. She is not ill defended." Everett recited Bast's words faithfully, her price for allowing him his autonomy... mostly. He cleared his throat carefully. "Bast and I have rudimentary list of heroes, both Avengers and not, that we must try to speak with. Between my inside knowledge of the Soviet Accords' signatories and her... unique perspective, we hope to warn most of the key players before Thanos gets here. She's not sure on his exact plans, but thinks we have less than six months before he arrives. One of the first she wants to speak to is Captain Rogers if we can find him, though I know you have your issues with him and his team."

"Ah..." T'challa shifted slightly and looked at his councilors awkwardly. Everett frowned slightly, curious as to what could make the eloquent king so flustered. A sudden thought had him hiding his face in his hands briefly.

"You HAVE to be kidding me! You, King T'challa, who so adamantly demanded Barnes answer to your country for his crimes, are hiding the rogue Avengers? No wonder we... they can't find hide nor hair of them. No one thought to check with the man who fought against them so eagerly. Where the hell has he been this entire time? I refuse to accept Captain America stood by and let that psychopath nearly destroy the world's leadership." Everett looked around the room as if he'd find the American icon hiding behind the drapery with his feet sticking out like an overgrown house pet.

"I did indeed follow Stark to Russia to capture Barnes, but when I learned the truth of the incident with Zemo, I realised how far from the path of the Black Panther my quest for vengeance had led me. Truthffully, Barnes was as much a victim in Hydra's plots as any of his targets. After insuring Zemo would not escape and Stark, Barnes, and Rogers fought each other, I extended an offer of help to Captain Rogers, both of sanctuary and assistance with Barnes' deprograming. Shuri has been attempting to remove the trigger words from James' psyche during another, this time voluntary, cryofreeze. Due to the delicate nature of his mind, she put his location on total lockdown before I even agreed to the second King trial. No outsider is permitted to interfere in his healing. Rogers was here for a few days, but had to leave to help some of his teammates hide themselves away from your taskforce. He checks in with us on an as needed basis. As Shuri has finally made progress on the deprograming, he is actually on his way back and should be here in a few days. We had hoped to wake Barnes up to test our attempt then." T'challa explained. Everett closed his eyes in frustration.

"It seems just when I think I'm getting a good grasp on Wakanda, something else pops up to surprise me." The former taskforce agent in him was torn. This was the point of no return. True, he had suspicions of what was ahead for the Accords and with the Thanos situation, but if he actively ignored the location of a known fugitive, his job was over and he would be just as hunted. Bast was unusually silent, though Everett assumed she was letting him make the choice on his own without interfering. It was something he'd have to come to terms with eventually. "I want to be there when his plane arrives."

***

"Agent Ross." Steve Rogers stuttered to a halt at the top of the jet's ramp. Everett had persuaded T'challa to let him explain everything, including his presence in Wakanda to Rogers. T'challa had bemusedly agreed.

"Rogers. We need to talk." Everett crossed his arms and inwardly smirked when the legend himself hesitated. Bast sent a feeling of exasperation his way but didn't comment. Everett jerked his head towards the path and let the younger (or maybe older?) man make his way towards the palace, falling in step alongside him. "I suppose I owe you an apology."

"What?" Captain America nearly tripping on air was never going to get old. He bit back a grin and instead started at the top, finishing about the time they got down to the science labs. Rogers made several aborted attempts to interrupt, but Everett shook his head, continuing without stopping. About the time he reached the part with Bast, Rogers gave up trying to speak and started staring, probably wondering what he was on.

"No worries, Steve! He's not crazy. We've verified his story as much as we can and you really can't help but believe something happened when he starts popping in and out of places like a ghost." Shuri jumped up from one of her lab stations in the newly repaired science level and Everett grimaced. That had been a "fun" afternoon of discovery. Once second he was hating the stairs in the palace as he trekked from the council chamber to the lab, irritating Bast with his complaints, the next he was staring at startled Shuri. She'd immediately let out a shriek and flung the weapon she was holding at him. Luckily, that was when they found out the vibranium in his blood did come with a healing factor. It did nothing for the pain of having a vibranium knife stuck in his shoulder though. Shuri greeted Steve happily, handing him a tablet loaded with Bucky's vitals and response to treatment.

"Ah, only in Wakanda, apparently. Bast's ability to travel instantly is limited to her lands." Everett corrected, sheepishly. Rogers shook his head in disbelief, clutching his friend's biomonitor to his side.

"I think I owe an old friend some more money. What did you mean about the apology?" He asked, still a bit confused on that point. Everett sighed and sat down on one of the lab stools.

"When I speak for Bast, I'm telling the absolute truth as she wants me to say it. That was a compromise we reached before I agreed to being her avatar. Originally she was to just speak through me, using my voice. I refused, stating I'd rather die than be used as a puppet in a play. She agreed, thankfully, but the situation made me realize the broader truth. I doubt Hydra would have listened when Sgt. Barnes refused." Everett admitted. Rogers' lips went tight and thin as he gritted his teeth at the reminder of his friend's suffering. The man nodded, conceding the truth of the matter. "I'm not apologizing about doing my job. You weren't supposed to be acting in Belgium and you knew it. That was on you. But I should have been a bit more understanding when we brought you in and made sure that you both were treated fairly. Innocent until proven guilty being the rule of thumb and all. The crack about not getting you a lawyer was just my frustration with your actions. Stark's lawyers had already been in touch, protesting your arrest, but I didn't pass that along and then the break out with Zemo occured. I should have listened better, Captain Rogers, and maybe you wouldn't have needed to flee the way you did. I'm sorry."

"It's not Captain anymore, Ross, Tony made sure I knew what bridges I was burning when I took Bucky's side over his vengeance. I'm no longer Captain America, just Steve." Rogers admitted. Everett shook his head.

"Retired military retain their ranks upon leaving the service. And I say if anyone earned their ranks, it's you and Barnes. I, on the other hand, have quit my job at the taskforce, so just Everett will do. I can't be Bast's avatar and the man chasing criminals and heroes who violate the Accords. I've made my choice and I'll stand by it. Besides, there's still a lot of work for you ahead, shield or no shield." Everett pointed out. Rogers raised his eyebrows and Everett grimaced. "Now that you know about me, I guess it's time to talk about Loki's puppetmaster. Apparently he's a real piece of work and, Captain, he's on his way here with an army at his back and a gauntlet of infinity stones to fill. We're going to need every hero we have and then some to stand a chance. So let's go wake up your best friend and get to work."

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to take this chance to complain about Everett guys. As a Sherlock fan, this is freaking ridiculous trying to write him. I keep using John and stuff like bloody in my head and it frustrates me to no end that he's so different yet similar to John Watson. Bonus points if you caught the other reference tucked away in the story.


End file.
